The United States and Islam: What Is Going On? by Amir Taheri  •  December 22, 2015 at 5:00 am The irony is that no major power in recent history has gone out of its way as has the United States to help, respect, please and, yes, appease Islam. And, yet, no other nation has been a victim of vilification, demonization, and violence on the part of the Islamists as has the U.S. The politically correct crowd has turned Islam into a new taboo. They brand any criticism of Islam as racist, ethnocentrist or simply vile, all crammed together in the new category of "Islamophobia." Is it Islamophobia to question a religion whose Middle East leaders often preach "Death to America" and hatred for Western values? More prevalent than Islamophobia is Islamophilia, as leftists treat Muslims as children whose feathers should not be ruffled. The Islamophilia crowd invites Americans and Europeans to sacrifice part of their own freedom in atonement of largely imaginary sins against Muslims in the colonial and imperialist era. Many Muslims resent the kind of flattery that takes them for idiots at a time that Islam and Muslims badly need to be criticized. The world needs to wake up and ask: What is going on? After the San Bernardino massacre carried out by jihadists Syed Farook (right) and Tashfeen Malik (left), the perennial debate about "why do they hate us" is on with more intensity than ever since 9/11. With Americans still trying to absorb the shock of San Bernardino massacre, the perennial debate about "why do they hate us" is on with more intensity than ever since 9/11. The irony is that no major power in recent history has gone out of its way as has the United States to help, respect, please and, yes, appease Islam. And, yet, no other nation has been a victim of vilification, demonization, and violence on the part of the Islamists as has the U.S. Continue Reading Article

Renew America Newsletter ...

December 22, 2015

Latest columns Trump seeks to make Russia great again Cliff Kincaid What Rubio and the Castros have in common Larry Klayman Non-partisanship, "credible" authority and truth by consensus Robert Meyer Ted Cruz 'for a time such as this' J. Matt Barber My first annual solstice-letter: Have a nice whatever! Curtis Dahlgren The Christian suicide cult Ronald R. Cherry Mayor's oath of office troubling Rev. Mark H. Creech Is Cruz like Goldwater or Reagan? Jerry Newcombe The environmentalist paradox Louie Verrecchio Super prez and global warming worriers save Obama's legacy, our lives and the planet? Michael Bresciani No, Christians and Muslims do not worship the same God Bryan Fischer "Kill the infidels!" Chuck Baldwin Symposium--Get in the birth position Ellis Washington Make America dumb again? Cliff Kincaid Hiding Malik's Face: To be or Not to be a Muslim -- that is the Question Selwyn Duke Was America the creation of deism? Part 1 Robert Meyer Anarcho-Capitalism: serfs favor it, tyrants fear it, and the ignorant, well... they don't know a whole lot about it Sean Parr World Leftist Elites go after Trump with a vengeance Sher Zieve It's Cruz or Rubio - and they know it Bryan Fischer Progressives' misguided sentiment on guns Ken Connor GI JOES: ANGELS of LIBERTY! Battle of the Bulge, White Christmas 1944 & more... Jake Jacobs Putin and his wilderness of mirrors Toby Westerman Symposium--This is your time Ellis Washington More columns

December 21, 2015 Obama: 'Don't turn on Islam' JOSEPH FARAH — Barack Obama is concerned that you, dear Americans, might "turn on Islam." Imagine that. Muslim terrorists have been killing Americans with regularity going back to the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, continuing through 9/11, the Boston Massacre, Fort Hood, the Beltway Sniper, San Bernardino and many other attacks in between... (more) December 21, 2015 Closing Guantanamo Bay will only empower our enemies ANDREW C. MCCARTHY — There are 107 jihadists remaining at Guantanamo Bay. President Obama sees that as a huge problem and, for once, I agree with him. But there the agreement ends. The president is hell bent on shuttering the detention camp. I think the problem is that there are only 107 detainees... (more) December 21, 2015 Obama administration blocks Washington Times FOIA request on Syria chemical weapons WASHINGTON TIMES — The Obama administration is blocking The Washington Times from obtaining detailed information about Syria's extensive chemical weapons arsenal, which was used to kill thousands of innocents and changed the course of the country's savage 4-year-old civil war... (more)  Doubts about Syrian chemical weapons attacks (The Guardian)  The Red Line and the Rat Line (Seymour Hersh) December 21, 2015 Trump seeks to make Russia great again CLIFF KINCAID — Donald Trump has hired an attractive young woman to spin the news in his favor. But it's a difficult job, especially when a cold-blooded killer endorses your candidate. On CNN on Thursday night, Katrina Pierson attempted to soften the impact of the Russian president's endorsement of -- or high praise for -- Trump for U.S. president... (more) December 21, 2015 An insurrection in the Windy City ROBERT KNIGHT — The Clintons and their cronies have an amazing track record for surviving scandal, but it's being tested mightily in Chicago. Mayor Rahm Emanuel, a longtime Clinton ally, is facing an insurrection over his handling of a white police officer's shooting of a 17-year-old black youth on Oct. 20, 2014... (more) December 21, 2015 From atheist slaver to minister: amazing grace BILL FEDERER — Amazing grace! How sweet the sound, That saved a wretch like me! I once was lost, but now am found, Was blind, but now I see.... (more) December 20, 2015 Movement to 'primary' Speaker Paul Ryan out of Congress picks up steam GATEWAY PUNDIT — We Were Warned--Harry Reid threw his support behind Paul Ryan for Speaker back in October. In July 2013 Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) spoke with a Hispanic audience about his intention to push immigration reform in the House of Representatives.... (more) December 20, 2015 How Dinesh D'Souza became a victim of Obama's lawless administration ANDREW C. MCCARTHY — Precious were the recriminations after the first Democratic presidential debate. Putative nominee Hillary Clinton, amid what is more a coronation than a contest, had proudly boasted of making the Republicans her "enemy."... (more) December 20, 2015 Ted Cruz airs parody ad in Iowa during 'SNL' [VIDEO] NEWSMAX — Texas Sen. Ted Cruz will air an ad in Iowa markets during this week's episode of "Saturday Night Live" made to look like one of the show's own parody commercials. Cruz, who is leading some Iowa polls in the GOP presidential race, makes reference to the time he read Dr. Seuss' "Green Eggs and Ham" from the Senate floor during a filibuster.... (more)  It's on!: Sarah Palin counter-spoofs Tina Fey [VIDEO] (USAToday) December 19, 2015 Conservatives seething over Ryan spending bill: Republicans 'betrayed' NEWSMAX — Angry Republican lawmakers and conservatives are howling about the massive spending bill signed into law Friday -- slamming the party's leadership for pushing through a "bad deal" that'll only anger voters "fed up with the Washington cartel."... (more) December 19, 2015 Lyin' Ryan: Did Paul Ryan lie about guest-worker impact on jobs? LEO HOHMANN — Congress's passage Friday of a $1.1 trillion omnibus spending bill may be good for the government workers, avoiding a much feared shutdown. But it will not be good for construction workers, or truckers, or hotel-motel maids.... (more) December 19, 2015 These 95 Republicans defied Ryan to oppose spending deal  WORLDNETDAILY — The $1.1 trillion omnibus spending bill sailed through the House on Friday by a vote of 316-113. Ninety-five Republicans split with House GOP leadership to vote against the spending bill. Another 150 Republicans supported it, while just 18 Democrats opposed it.... (more) December 19, 2015 Chaos in the Democratic presidential primary POLITICO — A civil war erupted within the Democratic Party on Friday after news that Bernie Sanders' campaign took advantage of a technological glitch to access, search and save one of Hillary Clinton's most valuable campaign assets -- her voter files.... (more) December 19, 2015 Open-borders money backs Marco Rubio MICHELLE MALKIN — Political analysis of the Las Vegas debate immigration dust-up between Sens. Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio is missing a key ingredient: the money factor.... (more) December 19, 2015 Court: Catholic school must hire 'gay' man WORLDNETDAILY — A Boston state court issued a "first of its kind" ruling in an attempt to force a Catholic school to hire a homosexual man. Superior Court Associate Justice Douglas Wilkins' decision on Wednesday orders Fontbonne Academy, a Catholic girls school, to hire a "gay" man.... (more)  Bad news for religious liberty: Court rules Christian school has to hire married gay man (National Review) December 19, 2015 NOAA relies on 'compromised' thermometers that inflate U.S. warming trend DAILY CALLER — The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's reliance on poorly-sited weather stations to calculate surface temperatures is inflating the warming trend of the U.S. and maybe even the rest of the world, according to a landmark study looking at three decades of data.... (more) December 18, 2015 GOP sells America down the river RUSH LIMBAUGH — The country was just sold down the river again by your very Republican Party. I have a headline here from the Washington Times: "White House Declares Total Victory Over GOP in Budget Battle." That headline's a misnomer. There was never a battle. None of this was opposed.... (more) December 18, 2015 Congressmen unload on $1.1 trillion, 2,000-page omnibus bill betrayal GREG COROMBOS — The Republican-controlled Congress appears poised to approve a $1.1 trillion omnibus bill to fund the government through the fiscal year that Democrats say is a big win for their agenda and that will pass with a majority of Democratic votes.... (more) December 18, 2015 Blank check for Obama 'refugee' program? JOSEPH FARAH — Talk about being politically tone deaf. It appears the Republican Congress hasn't learned anything about grass-roots anger sweeping across the America over the way their elected officials in Washington have appeased, enabled and funded Barack Obama's grotesquely unconstitutional policies since the GOP won the House in 2010.... (more) December 18, 2015 Obama triumphed all year over GOP majorities, White House crows WASHINGTON TIMES — The White House gloated Thursday that President Obama triumphed over Republican majorities on virtually all of his priorities in 2015, from a climate change pact to the Iran nuclear deal -- most of which were accomplished by sidestepping Congress.... (more) December 18, 2015 Sarah Palin: 'I got choked up' hearing about ISIS vow to kill disabled children  NEWSMAX — The Islamic State's horrifying threat to execute all disabled kids came as a sickening sucker punch to Sarah Palin. The former Alaska governor and GOP lightning rod is the mother of a seven-year-old boy who was born with Down Syndrome.... (more) December 18, 2015 White House snubs moderate Muslims in favor of Muslim Brotherhood's CAIR F. MICHAEL MALOOF — Ignoring members of a Muslim-reform movement, the White House invited an executive of the Council on American-Islamic Relations to a little-noticed meeting, even though CAIR has been very public in representing family members of the alleged shooters in the San Bernardino terror attack and was founded as a front group for the Muslim Brotherhood, an expert says.... (more) December 18, 2015 Federal judge rebukes CAIR in 'Muslim Mafia' case WORLDNETDAILY — A federal judge in Washington, D.C., ruled Thursday that the Council on American-Islamic Relations -- a group founded by the Muslim Brotherhood in the U.S. -- has no legal basis to claim its reputation was damaged by an undercover investigation documenting its ties to global jihad.... (more) December 18, 2015 How did the most popular Christmas carols originate?  BILL FEDERER — Charles Wesley wrote "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing." He was the 18th child of Rev. Samuel and Susanna Wesley, born Dec. 18, 1707, in Epworth, England. Susanna Wesley homeschooled all her 19 children, giving them a classical education which included them learning Latin and Greek.... (more) December 18, 2015 The travesty in Baltimore   ANDREW C. MCCARTHY — The chilling thing about the hung jury that resulted in a mistrial for Officer William G. Porter, the first Baltimore cop to stand trial on charges arising out of the death of Freddie Gray, is that it was a hung jury.... (more)

ISIS launched spoiling attacks across Iraq to relieve pressure by anti-ISIS forces on multiple fronts. ISIS's attacks follow operations by the Coalition and ISF and Iraq and the Coalition-backed National Democratic Forces in Syria to constrain ISIS on both fronts...

Iraq Situation Report:  December 15 - 21, 2015

By Patrick Martin and ISW Iraq Team ISIS launched spoiling attacks across Iraq to relieve pressure by anti-ISIS forces on multiple fronts. ISIS's attacks follow operations by the Coalition and ISF and Iraq and the Coalition-backed National Democratic Forces in Syria to constrain ISIS on both fronts. In a recent press conference, Operation Inherent Resolve spokesperson Col. Steve Warren cited ongoing anti-ISIS operations in Baiji, Makhoul, and Sinjar in northern Iraq as well as Hit and Ramadi in western Iraq, combined with operations in Shaddadi and Deir ez-Zour in southern Syria. ISIS responded with attacks involving a significant offensive east of Mosul, which was reportedly the largest ground attack since ISIS recaptured Ramadi in May 2015. ISIS also attempted to set back ISF efforts to prepare an assault on Ramadi. ISIS additionally attempted diversionary and probing attacks near Tikrit, Samarra and Fallujah, in order to forestall any upcoming anti-ISIS operations elsewhere in Iraq and force anti-ISIS forces shift resources to re-secure targeted areas ISIS remains on the defensive but maintains attack capabilities across northern and western Iraq. Meanwhile, heavy pressure on PM Abadi from pro-Iranian elements forced PM Abadi to reject Coalition support for the Ramadi operation. However, the Operation Inherent Resolve spokesperson stated that PM Abadi approved of a small U.S. SOF force to cut ISIS's supply lines between Iraq and Syria. PM Abadi's ability to accept increased Coalition support suffered further when a Coalition airstrike accidentally hit an Iraqi Army unit near Fallujah on December 18, causing an uproar among pro-Iranian and Iranian proxy actors.       Read this update online